Madison's not eating :(

[Jen]

I'm worried about her! She's not eatingher pellets. I took time and switched her over but now thatshe's getting all new pellets she won't eat. She's only beenhere 9 days. I suppose she's not supposed to drink much sinceshe's only a little over a pound. And she eats herhay. There's plenty of poopies and pee, too! Atwhat point should I worry? Before she was eating PurinaRabbit Chow but I don't have a dealer here in town so I got the pelletsfrom the other feed store. Any ideas?

 

[panacrent]

my rabbits pretty small. she drinks more than i would expect for something that barely weighs a pound.

maybe you should leave a few fresh pellets out just in case she decidesshe needs more than hay in her diet. i guess well have to wait forbetter suggestions, cause i dont really have any ideas....

sorry i cant help, and i hope your bun is getting the nutrition she needs soon.

 

[Jen]

I'm so worried! I haveNutriCal. Anyone know if I should give her this? Iam sooo new to rabbits. Kittens are my forte.

 

[rabbitgirl]

Actually, I had the same experience switchingfrom Purina. They just plain wouldn't eat anything else. It was justfor a little while when I ran out of Purina.

go figure....hope you find a brand she'll eat. If you have a pet storenear why don't you try a little of each brand (usually they sell somein dispensers, not just big bags) and see what she'll eat?

Good luck!

Rose

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Jen,

How's Madison doing? Is she eating yet?

I would give her a small dosage of NutriCal to stimulate her appetite,boost her immune system and make sure she's still getting somenutrients. Just give a small dose because it's so high incalories.

All the changes might have thrown her off for a day or so.Hopefully by now, she's back to eating again. Let us know howshe's doing.

-Carolyn

 

[Jen]

Carolyn- I've been measuring out 1/3 of a cup andputting it in her dish and she's basically not eatinganything. Maybe a few pieces. When I got her theman said she'seat about 3/4c a day. I'm soupset! Do you think I should get the Purina again?I'll do anything at this point! ~Jen

 

[Lissa]

How long has it been since she stopped eating? Does she have long fur?

Try giving her some oats or a banana. She needs something in her stomach.

 

[Jen]

Lissa- I've only had her 10 days now.She hasn't eaten muchthe whole time. She's aNetherland Dwarf and does not have long hair. She will noteat any type of treat or fruit. She is eating a lot of hayand making plenty of poopies. And she feels fine.Loves to go outside and munch on grass and hop around. Justnot eating the pellets.

 

[panacrent]

my rabbit only gets about 1/8th to 1/4 cup ofpellets a day. shes not old enough for fresh greens either,so her diet is lots of timothy and a few pellets. my vet recommended aquarter cup pellets a day per pound of bunny.

 

[Lissa]

Jen wrote:

Lissa-I've only had her 10 days now. She hasn't eatenmuchthe whole time. She's a Netherland Dwarf anddoes not have long hair. She will not eat any type of treator fruit. She is eating a lot of hay and making plenty ofpoopies. And she feels fine. Loves to go outsideand munch on grass and hop around. Just not eating thepellets.

Change in environment is going to make your rabbit eat less.Hopefully it will get better in time. Just keep giving herplenty of hay and water.

 

[Jen]

I checked at lunch and she ate 1/6c of pelletsthis morning! I'm so relieved! I know it's not muchbut it's something. I will keep a very close eye onher. Thank you everyone for the advice.

 

[Lissa]

Whew! That's good.

 

[BunnyLover]

Most rabbits take a good couple of weeks (more orless) to get used to being in a new environment. Then about a month orso to get used to you. So in the beginning it is normal for them not toeat as aggressively, butthat will soon change!

Everything worth while takes time!

Lissa

 

[Carolyn]

Aw Jen,

I'm sorry I didn't see your note until now. I've been sopreoccupied with BunnyMommy's situation that I've not be participatingas much on the board.

Well, that's good your little one ate yesterday! Are yougiving her a lot of treats or supplementing her diet in anyway? Some rabbits won't eat and hold out for 'the goodstuff'. You have to be careful of the sugar content of 'thegood stuff' though.

Glad to hear that she's starting to relax a bit and eat. I'dstill pick up some NutriCal, a dietary supplement, to encourage herappetite and give her immune system a boost as everyone said, rabbitsdo stress when they change environments.

Keep us posted.

-Carolyn

 

[Jen]

Carolyn- I completely understand. Hard times for BunnyMommy.

She has never had treats or anything besides pellets and hay and shedoesn't like anything. I will give her some NutriCaltoday. I keep it on hand for the kittens that Irescue.

Thanks and I hope BunnyMommy is doing okay.

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Jen,

The NutriCal is a good place to start. Glad you have some onhand. Just be careful, as you know, they don't need much andit's so high in calories.

Keep us posted.



-Carolyn

 

[Jen]

Hi Carolyn - I gave her a bit and she had eaten1/3c since last night! Looks like she's comingaround. Thanks so much for your help.